The Yankees have declined their 2012 club option for Damaso Marte, the team announced today. This should not be a surprise as there was no chance they were going to bring the lefty back at $4 million after missing the majority of the last three seasons with shoulder troubles. He will receive a $250,000 buyout instead.
The Yankees signed Marte to a three-year deal worth $12 million after the 2008 season, a rather curious decision since they could have simply picked up his $6 million option for 2009 and avoided a long-term deal. He gave them just 31 innings during the life of the contract (6.39 ERA), and none this past season. On the bright side, he was pretty awesome in the 2009 playoffs, retiring all twelve men he faced in the ALCS and World Series. Just say no to multi-year contracts for relievers, folks.
Not Fun Fact: On a dollars-per-inning basis, Marte ($387k/IP) was a worse deal than Carl Pavano ($275k/IP). Yikes. Pedro Feliciano will fill the designated injured LOOGY role next season.
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